Staff still working for Queen more than a year after her death

Although Dowager Queen Fabiola has been dead for over a year now, she still has staff working for her. According to the Social Security Service, between 5 and 9 people are still employed at Queen Fabiola’s household. A spokesman for the Royal Palace told the press agency Belga that this is because her legacy has not been finalised.

Mon 18 Jan 2016 13:00

However, this should be done in the next couple of weeks. Queen Fabiola’s legacy is somewhat complex. The Dowager Queen lived in Stuyvenberg Castle on the Royal Estate in the Brussels district of Laken. However, the castle was not her property, but is owned by the Royal Trust. Only once Queen Fabiola’s legacy has been finalised can a new use be found for the castle.

The Royal household says that Queen Fabiola’s legacy is a private matter and refuses to comment on it. However, insiders say that all the furniture and paintings in the castle are being checked to see if they belonged to the Dowager Queen or belong to the Royal Trust.

In her will, Queen Fabiola left all her private possessions to the Queen’s Fund Charity. During the final years of her life she also brought a number of her assets into other trust funds.

This enabled her Spanish family to inherit her property and goods in Spain. Dowager Queen Fabiola left her jewelry to Queen Mathilde.